Fox River, creeks help define the Tri-Cities
When we get several inches of rain dumped on us, as we did two weeks ago, the Fox River gets a lot of our attention. We have to endure the prospect of occasional flooding, but we generally have the river to enjoy year-round.
The river gets that attention because it represents much of what it means to live in the Tri-Cities area - robust outdoor recreation with boating, fishing, hiking, biking, etc.
But the river is actually just the biggest portion of what is called the Fox River Watershed, which means we're also blessed around here with an interesting network of roughly 20 creeks that make for wonderful settings in preserves like LeRoy Oakes and Ferson Creek in St. Charles and Mill Creek in Geneva.
These creeks also can overflow and cause flooding problems, but they are at their best when they have just enough water flowing through for kids to play nearby and look for crayfish, or for adults to fish.
Play it safe: In the same spirit of being careful when participating in activities along the river, those who choose to kayak or raft along certain creeks are doing so at their own risk. It looks to be, and probably is, a lot of fun. But they are not the safest waterways for doing so with so many shallow spots, rocks and brush.
By the same token, kids should not be wading in the creeks or looking for crayfish without adults nearby.
Daily Herald columnist Valerie Blaine, who is the nature programs director for the Kane County Forest Preserve and recently earned second place in a state competition for "Best Friend of Illinois Parks," said the health of the creeks is just as important as the health of the Fox River.
"There's a network of citizens and agencies monitoring the health of the creeks," Blaine said. "The Illinois RiverWatch program, for example, and Friends of the Fox River both train citizen volunteers to annually monitor streams."
The ladies in law: Deanie Bergbreiter feels the creation of the Kane County Women's Bar Association for the 16th Judicial Circuit was a matter of female lawyers wanting to mentor others and share their common ground.
Bergbreiter, a Kane County lawyer who works in the attorney general's office, said the Women's Bar, created this past summer, has nearly 50 members and continues to grow.
"It's more natural and comfortable to be with people like yourself, and our mission in this was for the mentoring," Bergbreiter said. "But the Women's Bar is open to men, and more than 10 percent of our members are men."
Bar members are hoping to garner more interest at an event from 1 to 5 p.m. Monday at the Kane County Judicial Center multipurpose room when consultant David Kelley talks about the latest hot topics in litigation, including those related to pension issues.
Questions can be directed to womensbar16@gmail.com.
Volunteers to remember: Who stands out as a community servant worthy of top recognition in the Tri-Cities region?
If you have an idea who fits that mold, you need to contact TriCity Family Services and nominate that person for the annual William D. Barth Award.
This honor annually is given to a person "who has made a significant and positive impact" on life in this area by showing a commitment to helping others.
Get those nominations in writing to Miranda Iwataki by Oct. 3 at TCFS, 1120 Randall Court in Geneva. Nomination forms are available on the agency Web site at tricityfamilyservices.org.
That's string music: There's been a significant buzz through the local music world the past week or so, as violinist virtuoso Midori, the chair of the Strings Department at University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music, has been appearing in local concerts and visiting some schools.
St. Charles high schools get the honor of Midori participating in a music clinic, or string festival, with the school orchestras, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at St. Charles North.
Weekend conflicts: I mentioned Duane Buttell of St. Charles last week and the odd mix up that led a reporter to believe that maybe he hadn't earned the Silver Star in Vietnam that he actually did receive in 1966. With that all cleared up, Buttell had a couple of other things swirling on his mind last weekend.
First, his grandson was undergoing surgery and he wanted to be home to visit him and cheer him up.
To do so, he had no problem saying no to a celebration in Chillicothe in which the 1957 football team that he quarterbacked was going to be honored.
"We only lost one game in three years," Buttell said with a wide smile.
I know a team in Chicago that can use a quarterback who rarely loses a game.
dheun@sbcglobal.net